Life in Asia rarely resembled this picture. It was often tedious and challenging. Christian resources were few and my time in the Word was often very dry. I knew that connection to the Vine was the lifeline to my spiritual growth, but I often moaned my passivity and disinterest toward a daily devotion. Ring a bell? Just …
A Day of Light
“He who practices the Truth comes to the light” (John 3:21). A room may look elegant and romantic by the flicker of candlelight, but expose it to the brightness of day and all inconsistencies become evident. The cracking paint, the peeling wallpaper, the dingy carpet. What low light masks; the sun’s rays accentuate. If we are truly …
The Slow Fast
I was in the middle of my juice fast; hugging a toilet. My nutritionist friend had given me all the facts. My body needed more fruits and vegetables to get rid of the toxins I’d built up over the years. These were causing my low energy and sluggish thinking. I decided to go all in. I wanted to flood …
The Fruit-Bearer
I grew up in a small, rural church as the only “regular” under the age of 45. From the time my mother began taking me to Pansy Church, Bobbie Trull was my mentor. Bobbie unfolded the Gospels to me during my impressional elementary years. She believed in me during my awkward middle school years. She taught …
The Fruit of Discouragement
“Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2) Think about the spiritual fruit that you most desire to bear – let’s say joy, for instance. What happens when He nips our bud of joy? I’m discovering that it gives me a perfect opportunity to truly know the source of …
The Cannibalistic Branch
Okay, I’ve been kinda stuck with something that we talked about during our last blog. Granted, it was the one that my five-year-old grandson helped with, but still I can’t seem to get away from the fact that “fruit never consumes itself”. As I think about the nine fruits of the Spirit that Paul describes in Galatians …
So How Random Is It?
“Random acts of kindness”. I remember hearing this term for the first time years ago. Evidently, it began in the early ’80’s when an author wrote the term on her placemat in a Sausalito restaurant. As we think of kindness as one of the spiritual fruits given to us by God, how random can kindness actually be? …
What I Heard
I was a very immature sixteen-year-old. So, when the Father said: “I chose you …to bear fruit…that should remain.” (John 15:16) I heard: “Kandy, you are to evangelize the world.” I mean after all, that is what my church taught me “fruit” meant. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, …
Gardening with Prayer
“We should plant a garden!” Now you would think that a farmer’s daughter would understand the magnitude of what she had just suggested, but somehow, I remained oblivious until midway through that summer of 1986. Our large backyard had no shade and the expanse of grass was scattered with weeds. Digging it up and starting over …
The Implanted Neurostimulator
I just had my battery replaced. Uh-huh…..you heard right. I function by remote control. No, you can’t program my actions from across the room. And try as he may, my husband hasn’t been able to turn off my emotions either. The battery is linked to a neurostimulator for chronic back pain. It’s a pain management device implanted …